SSA comes back to play

After enjoying more than two weeks of evenings at home with the family and holiday cheer, the men and women of the Saipan Softball Association are poised to play ball as all of the underhanded action returns to the Oleai Sports Complex tomorrow night.

The men of the Island-Wide Fast-Pitch Softball League are the first to get things started when they lace up the cleats and head onto Tan Ge Softball Field at 6:30pm as the D-9ers challenge the Islanders, followed by the match-up between the Seabees ‘4’ and the Kagman Lancheros at 7:30pm.

Through one round of blue darters and flight restricted fun, the Seabees ‘4’ remain the SSA’s only undefeated team in the men’s division at 4-0, but their lead over the D-9ers is just a few bad plays away, as the team from the northern end of the island are safely in second at 3-1.

The rest of the league has not been enjoying the same success of the elite as the Islanders, Kagman Lancheros, and Proa are locked in a three way tie for third place at 1-3. Most surprising is the drop-off experienced by the Proa, who led all comers last year until falling in the finals. They only earned their first win right before the break when they dispatched the Lancheros, 14-4, to close out the first round.

The women of the Island-Wide Slow-Pitch Softball League are next up when they take the field on Wednesday night for the first matches of the new year as It’s Okay meets with the Pacific Amigas at 6:30pm, followed by the Hitters and the Lady-8ers at 7:30pm, and the Sai-Steve Rookies contest with Bomsoro at 8:30pm.

The undefeated Bomsoro stand tall above the pack in the race for first at 4-0, but they have little breathing room over the second place Mix-A-Lot, who trail by only a game at 3-1.

Parity is the key in the women’s league as the Hitters and Pacific Amigas are just a game back in a tie for third at 2-2, followed by It’s Okay at 2-3 and the Tanapag Lady-8ers at 1-3.

The only team without a win is the Sai-Steve Rookies, who currently occupy last place at 0-3, but the spirited newcomers have injected new life into the group of teams, and the SSA could see new stars born from the latest batch of beginners.

SSA president Ray Palacios said that the season should be completed and the champion crowned before March—plenty of time for the CNMI All-Star team to be selected for the 2006 Micronesian Games.